


it's nice to have a friend

by maybeaslytherin



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Kid Fic, Modern AU, Pod and Myrcie and best buds, dad!Jaime, mum!Brienne, no joffrey or cersei, ser family, ser pounce - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2020-10-17 22:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20628905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybeaslytherin/pseuds/maybeaslytherin
Summary: Brienne is on her way to volunteer at Pod's class holiday party when she meets Jaime. Will first impressions last or will they learn to get along for the sake of Podrick and Myrcella's friendship?





	1. first impressions

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted a story involving Brienne and Jaime meeting through their children. I really loved writing this chapter.

Brienne shifted her weight, trying to balance the tray of cookies in one hand and the gift-wrapped box in her other hand, as she moved to open the door to the school. Oblivious to her struggling, or perhaps enjoying it based off of his smirk, a man stood behind her with both hands free, and a tote bag hanging off one shoulder. 

Brienne huffed out a breath and looked back to the man, “Do you mind?” 

The man’s smirk only grew as he laughed, “Didn’t want to interrupt. You seemed to be managing fine on your own.” Though, meeting her glare, he opened the door for her. 

They both stopped at the front desk, and the secretary gave a polite hello to Brienne, clearly not recognizing her though she was there nearly every week dropping off something Pod had left at home. However, whenever the secretary caught sight of the man, she gave a bright smile, “Hello, Jaime.” 

The man, Jaime, smiled back, and Brienne almost rolled her eyes. Did he use his looks to try to charm everyone he met? Brienne had hoped that once they both signed in, they’d go their separate ways. However, as Brienne made her way to Pod’s class, she heard him running to catch up to her. 

“So,” Jaime said, “I saw you’re headed to the same classroom I am. Tarth? I don’t recognize that name from the class list.” 

Brienne didn’t want to have to explain to a total stranger, “I’m Podrick Payne’s guardian.” 

Jaime’s eyes seemed to light up, “I’ve heard a lot about your Pod! My Myrcella can’t stop talking about him.” 

Brienne had to stifle a groan, “You’re Jaime Lannister?”

“The one and only,” He grinned and held out a hand to shake hers, only to laugh as he realized she still had her hands full. He decided to take the cookies from her, so he could shake her hand, but then continued to carry the tray as they walked. 

“Thanks,” Brienne muttered. 

“So, Brienne Tarth, right?” Jaime asked, making sure he had her name right from the sign in sheet. Brienne nodded and he continued, “I’m actually glad I ran into you. Myrcie’s been asking about having Pod over to play and now that we’ve met it might be easier to arrange.” 

“Oh, of course. I’ll be helping out with the party this afternoon, I suppose you are, too, so I’m sure we’ll be able to exchange info later on.” As much Jaime Lannister’s first impression did not impress her, Brienne would communicate with him; Myrcella was the first kid Podrick seemed to really have connected with since he moved here to live with Brienne a year and a half ago. 

When they reached the classroom, Jaime opened the door without prompting, for which Brienne was thankful. Maybe her initial impression of him was wrong, maybe he was a decent guy. 

“COOKIES!!” A dozen high-pitched voices screamed as the 2nd graders huddled around Jaime, acting as though he was a superhero who had just saved the day, leaving Brienne stuck in the doorway. Jaime simply smiled, high-fiving some of the children as he handed the cookies over to the teacher with some more charm, not bothering to mention that he was merely holding them for Brienne. 

Maybe her first impression was right after all. 

“Aunt Bee-yuh,” Podrick groaned as he saw Brienne holding the present. He took ahold of her arm and dragged her to the cubby area, “Myrcie’s gonna see you!” Pod was usually soft spoken, but she couldn’t help but laugh at the exasperation in his voice. Pod had spent hours last night wrapping the present for Myrcella and making it perfect, and she knew that he wanted it to be a surprise when he gave it to her. 

“Sorry, maybe next time don’t leave your very important present at home.” She said, squatting down to ruffle his hair. 

“I won’t.” Pod said, obviously relieved to be holding the present now. He threw an arm around her neck and gave her a hug, “Thanks, B.”

Brienne patted his back and stood up, “Now go have fun, I’ll be around helping out if you need anything.” Pod nodded, smiling, and ran back over to his desk. At the desk next to his was a little girl with long, curly golden hair. She could only be Myrcella. 

Pod’s cheeks turned a bit red as he shyly handed Myrcella his gift for her. When she saw the box she squealed, clapping her little hands together. In turn, she handed Pod his own gift box. 

“Pod seems like a good kid.” A voice came from next to Brienne. 

She answered Jaime without looking away from their children, “He’s the best. Myrcella seems sweet, too. I’m glad she and Pod are friends.” 

Myrcella picked up the stuffed dolphin from her box and hoped up and down, clapping her hands together. She hugged Podrick tight, then hugged the dolphin. “Did Pod pick that out himself?” Jaime asked Brienne, smiling.

Brienne nodded, “We went to 4 different stores and looked at about 10 different stuffed marine animals- it was between the dolphin and a turtle in the end.” 

“He picked well, Myrcie said she wants to work with dolphins one day.” Jaime answered. “We went on vacation last year and we saw some dolphins from the beach and she hasn’t stopped talking about them, or the ocean, since.” 

Brienne smiled, looking back at the kids. Pod was opening up his present, and Brienne groaned. “She got him glitter?” 

Jaime laughed, “Oh yes, she mentioned how they like to craft together and figured he should have the necessities- glitter included. There’s also a little paint set in there.” 

Brienne cringed; Pod was very messy when it came to arts and crafts. She didn’t even want to think about the gingerbread house debacle of last year. That’s why this Christmas they only made gingerbread cookies, and Brienne watched Pod very closely. Originally she planned to bring them in for their holiday party today, but Pod got too attached to the gingerbread people, who he’d already named and gave detailed backstories to, so Brienne made some standard chocolate chip cookies instead. 

“Perhaps that could be something Pod can bring when he has his playdate with Myrcella at your house.” Brienne grinned at Jaime. It was really his fault for getting Pod glitter for a present; every parent knew that was just a mess waiting to happen. 

Jaime threw Brienne a playful glare, about to give some retort back when Pod and Myrcie came up to their respective parents to show them their gifts. 

“Look, Daddy!” Myrcella held up the dolphin up to Jaime, nearly falling over on her tip toes trying to get it closer to him. Jaime knelt down next to her, and showed the appropriate enthusiasm in his response. Brienne tried to do the same for Pod. 

“We can find you a nice little area to set up your paints later this week, ok?” She promised him, trying to think of the easiest place to cover with sheets for an easier cleanup. 

Pod nodded eagerly then ran back over to his desk. Brienne stood up just as Jaime did. Myrcella stepped back, looking between them. “Wow, you’re taller than Daddy!” 

Brienne looked at Jaime. It wasn’t a huge difference, but she probably had an inch or two on him. Jaime. Before she could say anything, Myrcella added, “I bet you’d be way better at playing astronaut than he is,” she gestured over her shoulder at Jaime, her attention fully on Brienne now. “I want to be tall, too!” She was on her tip toes, trying to make herself taller. She quirked her head at Brienne, “What’s your name?” 

Brienne crouched down and put her hand out, “I’m Brienne. And you just be Myrcella, Podrick’s told me a lot about you.” 

Myrcella’s eyes widened,“You’re B!” Instead of shaking Brienne’s hand, she gave her a tight hug. 

“Myrcella,” Jaime said, a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, “give Brienne her space.” He mouthed an apology to Brienne, but Brienne didn’t mind; Myrcella was the first child, aside from Podrick, that took a liking to her right away. Usually her height and appearance seemed to scare children. It was something she worried about with volunteering today, but Myrcella was like a little ray of sunshine through all that fear. 

Turning back around to her dad, Myrcella asked, “Can B also come over when Pod comes to play?” 

Jaime shrugged, “Why don’t you ask B yourself?” Brienne felt a flicker in her chest when Jaime used the nickname, playing along with the kids. Usually, she would correct someone when they didn’t use her proper name, but right now she couldn’t bring herself to mind. 

“Will you?” Myrcella asked. Brienne nodded, smiling, and Myrcella squealed and skipped back over to Pod to tell him. 

Brienne stood up and looked at Jaime, blushing. “I hope it’s alright if I come over with Pod.” 

“Of course,” Jaime answered, “Maybe we can make it this Saturday afternoon and the two of you could stay for dinner.” 

“Oh, that would be nice. Thank you.” For a moment, Brienne lost herself in Jaime’s responding smile. His smile met his eyes and- oh, those eyes. They were so intense, so focused on her, like she was the only thing he could see in that moment. 

But the moment passed, as the teacher came over, a delicate hand on Jaime’s shoulder, asking for help setting up the crafts for the students. With another small smile to Brienne, Jaime turned around and focused those eyes on Ms. Tyrell, and Brienne fell back to reality. A reality in which a man like Jaime Lannister would never regard her in that way.


	2. stand by me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne talks with a co-worker and Pod spends the day with his grandpa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, just a little chapter following Brienne and Pod. I hope you enjoy!

After that first meeting at Pod and Myrcella’s holiday party, Jaime and Brienne exchanged information and planned for Brienne and Pod to go to the Lannister household that Saturday afternoon. 

“You like this Lannister guy?” Sandor asked Brienne with a sour expression, after looking over her shoulder at Brienne’s text conversation with Jaime. While it was a perfectly normal conversation, Sandor was pretty skeptical of any man Brienne was talking to. Not that she could blame him; she didn’t have the best track record, what with Hyle Hunt and Ron Connington. 

“No,” Brienne answered firmly, though there was still a treacherous part of her that wanted to disagree, “Definitely not interested. He’s the kind of guy who tries charms every woman he meets.” 

“Immune to his charms, Tarth?” Sandor grinned at her before turning back to his computer. 

Brienne rolled her eyes, “Who said he was trying to charm me? Remember most of the male population wouldn’t necessarily put me in the ‘dateable women’ category. And regardless, I’m smart enough to that a guy like that flirts just to flirt; it would be meaningless.” 

Sandor quirked his eyebrow, “Seems like you put some thought into this.” Brienne didn’t respond. Sandor laughed, “Alright, I gotta go meet a patient. Work out after work?” 

Shaking her head, Brienne answered, “No, I gotta pick up Pod from my dad’s place.”

“I thought Arya picked him up from school on Fridays.” Sandor worked with Arya a few years ago, after she tore her ACL. Though he usually dreaded having younger patients, who tended to be skittish around him due to his scars, Brienne could tell he enjoyed helping Arya. She didn’t care about what he looked like as long as he helped her recover so she could get back on her soccer team. 

“She’s on break for the holidays so she and Sansa went back to Winterfell to visit their brother.” Brienne was close to the Stark family ever since she and Sansa were roommates in college. Now Sansa’s younger sister went to King’s Landing University and babysat Pod after classes. 

“Ah, ok. I’ll see you Monday then.” Sandor walked out of the room then poked his head back in to add, “And you will give me all of the details about your Saturday with Lannister. While we’re at the gym, and I’m crushing you in a one-on-one game of basketball.” 

Brienne rolled her eyes, “Whatever you say, Clegane.” 

Brienne and Sandor were the only physical therapists that worked in the building, and since the office was connected to a gym so that they could use the equipment with their patients, usually the two worked out together after work. At first, Brienne didn’t think they’d get along, but they channeled their competitive energy into their work outs and got on pretty well in the office. 

Sandor was not only one of her only male friends, he was also probably her closest friend. Aside from Sansa. Occasionally, the three of them would meet up for coffee together, ever since Brienne introduced Sansa to Sandor while he was working with Arya. Brienne could tell that both Sandor and Sansa liked each other, though, and felt sort of like a third wheel when they were all together. So, she preferred interacting with them separately until either one of them finally worked up the courage to ask the other out. Maybe she should be questioning him instead of the other way around. 

Brienne’s phone buzzed again. It was Jaime. 

Jaime: I have a little area set up for Myrcella and Pod to paint tomorrow. But don’t worry about bringing Pod’s paint set with him, we have enough over here for them to use. That way he can enjoy painting at home, too! ;) 

She remembered telling him they would bring Pod’s paints over with them to the Lannister house. She was surprised he remembered, and that he was mentioning it now, poking fun at her in a way. Playfully, though. 

Brienne sighed, her head in her hands as she rubbed her temples. She couldn’t help overanalyzing everything he said to her. She wished she could tell herself she didn’t care about Jaime or like him in the slightest. But it was harder to tell herself that then to tell Clegane. 

…

Brienne paused at the door of her father’s house; she could hear the pearls of laughter coming from inside. She smiled, a bit sadly. She knew Selwyn Tarth always wanted to be a grandfather. She always felt like a disappointment to him in that way, though he was the kindest, most accepting father she could ask for and would never want to make her feel like she wasn't enough. It was just that- until Pod, she never expected to be a mother, never really could see herself getting married and having any sort of family herself at all. 

But then Pod came along, and suddenly she had a family of her own, sort of. Though she loved and cared for Pod with her whole heart, she still never felt like more than the aunt he barely knew who he suddenly was forced to live with. She worried he would never truly feel at home with her. She wondered if she was a good enough guardian for him. Brienne would hear that laughter or see the fun Pod had with Selwyn and, though she was grateful they had that bond, she wondered if Pod was truly happy with her. She’d always been so serious, and though she and Pod had fun together, it was only when he was with Selwyn that she heard that uninhibited, childish laughter from him. 

She sighed, not wanting to dwell on those worries anymore, and opened the door. “Hello,” she called out. 

She heard Pod’s heavy patter as he ran down the hallway, and nearly crashed into her as he looked over his shoulder for Selwyn. Brienne scooped him up in her arms. Pod giggled and flung his arms around her neck. “Hi, B!” 

Brienne planted a kiss against his bangs and set him back down as Selwyn came jogging into the room. “Hey, bud. Hey, Dad. You two have fun?” 

“You bet we did.” Selwyn hugged his daughter, kissing her forehead. He knelt down to Pod, “Why don’t you go grab your backpack?” Pod nodded and ran down the hallway. 

“Thanks for watching him today.” Brienne told her father. 

Selwyn smiled, “Of course. You know I love when he stops by. He told me about his playdate with Myrcella tomorrow.” 

“Ah,” Brienne nodded, “Yes, I ran into her father at the holiday party and we arranged it.” 

“Good, I’m glad he’s making friends.” 

“Me too,” Brienne said. “Though, obviously you’ll always be his best friend.” 

Selwyn couldn’t help but grin at that. “Regardless, I hope he has fun.” 

“I’ll let you know how it goes.” Brienne said as Pod ran back over to them, his backpack slung over one shoulder. 

“Bye, Pops!” Pod said cheerfully, hugging Selwyn goodbye. Technically, Selwyn was Podrick’s great uncle; Selwyn’s brother was Podrick’s grandfather. Pod called Brienne ‘Aunt B’ because it was less confusing though she was technically his second cousin, but he hadn’t met Selwyn before he came to live with Brienne. So, since Pod never knew his own grandfather, he called Selwyn ‘Pops’, much to Selwyn’s delight. 

As Brienne drove home, she wondered to herself if she’d ever be anything other than ‘Aunt B’ to Podrick. Of course, she never expected him to consider her his mother. That would only ever be his own mother’s title, and Brienne knew she would never ever replace her. But she still wondered if she’d ever truly feel like she had a permanent role in his life. 

… 

The next morning, Pod work Brienne up, standing beside her bed, tugging on her arm. “Aunt B, wake up, we have to get ready.” 

Brienne squinted at her alarm clock. “Pod, it’s only 7:30, we’re not supposed to go to Myrcella’s house until 2. We have plenty of time to get ready, don’t worry.” Usually, Pod slept in quite late, but he must have woken himself up with atnicipation. This was the first time he’d ever been up before her. 

“Oh,” Pod said, clearly disappointed, “Right.” 

Brienne didn’t want him disappointed, and knew he would just be anxiously waiting for the rest of the morning, “Why don’t we bake some brownies to bring to the Lannisters? That way, we’ll have dessert for after dinner.” 

Pod perked up and nodded enthusiastically. 

“I’ll be downstairs in five minutes, and we can get breakfast then get to baking, okay?” Brienne asked. 

“Ok!” Pod chirped and ran out of her room. Brienne shook her head, wondering how Pod could have so much energy at 7:30 in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be Saturday afternoon with the Lannisters!


	3. playdate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne and Pod go to the Lannister household for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Currently working on updating all of my WIPs before I start new ones haha. I finally have an outline set up for this fic, so tentatively, I am saying that it will be 12 chapters long, though that may change. I also obviously changed some things regarding Jaime and Cersei's history, but you'll see. I'll explain it more in later chapters but they are not related in this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter and this fic in general!

Brienne knocked on the door, still questioning whether they were at the right address. She thought back to when she met Jaime- yes, he had on a nice button down shirt and tie. She remembered typing her phone number into his phone, which was the recently released upgrade to her own, much older phone. But still…. this? 

The house could have easily been called a mansion; it was dark red brick and stood at 3 stories, with dormers jutting out from the upper level windows. The driveway even led in a circle, a small fountain at its center. 

Jaime answered the door with a grin. His casual attire- a dark grey sweater and dark wash jeans- seemed almost too casual compared to the outside of the large home. In contrast to the exterior, however, the interior of the home looked more cozy and comfortable- just on a much larger scale. Where the lawn was trimmed to perfection and the fountain ran gracefully at the center of the driveway, the house looked- well, lived-in. The oversized couch had blankets piled over the side of it, and there were toys strewn about between it and the giant tv on the opposite wall. Next to the door there was a line of shoes- large ones that were clearly Jaime’s, Myrcella’s which were similar in size to Pod’s, and yet another set of shoes, much smaller than Myrcella’s. 

Brienne was still a bit dazed as Jaime invited them in, though Pod seemed relatively unaffected by the large house, more interested in seeing his friend. He smiled brightly at Jaime, whom he talked to at the end of the Holiday party, when Brienne and Jaime were exchanging numbers. 

“Here are some brownies, Mr. Lannister!” Pod proudly presented the tray to Jaime. 

Jaime crouched down and took the tray, “Thanks, bud! Brownies are our favorite dessert in this household. And you can call me Jaime, if you’d like.” Pod nodded, beaming, and Jaime continued, “Why don’t your B and I take this into the kitchen? Myrcie is in the playroom upstairs. It’s that first door on the left up there.” He gestured to a massive staircase behind him. Pod smiled and nodded at Jaime, bolting up the steps. 

“Careful!” Brienne called after him, but he was already up the steps and out of sight. By the squeals it sounded like he found Myrcella. 

Jaime looked at Brienne, lifting the tray, “Thanks for these.” He started walking, gesturing for Brienne to follow him. “I set up their paint set in the playroom upstairs, so if Pod is anything like Myrcella, they’ll be busy for quite some time,” Jaime shook his head, smiling, “I was thinking we could eat dinner around 5.” 

Brienne nodded, looking around as he led her to the kitchen, “That sounds great.” In the center of the room was an island, at which a small boy was furiously coloring a piece of paper with crayons. 

“Tommen,” Jaime called attention to the boy as set the tray down next to the oven, “Would you like to say hello to Brienne.” 

The boy tilted his head up to look at Brienne, and dropped the crayon he was holding, “Hello,” he said shyly, though his eyes were wide. 

Jaime walked over to Tommen, placing a kiss on top of his head as he looked down at his drawing. “Is that you?” 

Brienne shuffled further into the room, not wanting to interrupt the exchange. Tommen beamed at Jaime as he pointed out parts of his picture, “That’s me as a knight! And that’s Ser Pounce by my feet.” 

Tommen looked at Brienne, who was now standing across from them, her hands resting on the counter of the island. “You could be a knight, too!” Tommen started pushing around his crayons, trying to find the right one, finally picking up a blue one. He was about to start drawing, but Jaime stopped him. 

“Why don’t you draw Brienne later?” He looked at Brienne, a smile dancing in his eyes. Then he lifted Tommen up out of his seat, plopping him down onto the floor, “Right now though, it’s nap time.” 

Addressing Brienne, Jaime said, “There are drinks in the fridge, help yourself to one, if you’d like. I’ll just be a minute.”

“Bye, Bienne” Tommen said, excluding the R from her name. Brienne smiled as Tommen giggled and waved at her, grabbing onto Jaime’s hand as they left the room, leaving Brienne alone in the kitchen. 

Looking around the large kitchen, Brienne’s eyes finally landed on the refrigerator, which was covered in photos and drawings. She moved closer- most of the photos were of Tommen and Myrcella, sometimes with Jaime, and a few showed another, smaller man smiling and hugging the kids. Nowhere was there a photo of a woman. Brienne couldn’t help but wonder about Tommen and Myrcella’s mother. Obviously, by Jaime’s flirtatious nature and the absence of a ring on his finger (though Brienne tried to specifically NOT notice that), the mother was no longer in the picture. And judging by the fact that there were no photos of a mother anywhere in the house- on the fridge or in the various picture frames that lined the halls- it was not a good ending that separated her from them. Or maybe Jaime had always been a single father. Maybe- 

“Sorry about that,” Jaime said, reentering the room. Brienne startled, not realizing how long she had been staring at the photos. 

“No worries,” Brienne answered, “How old is Tommen?” 

“He just turned 3 a month ago,” Jaime answered, pouring himself a glass of water. He offered one to Brienne as well, which she accepted just to have something to hold onto. 

“He seems sweet,” Brienne said. She wondered what it was like to have such a young child. She wasn’t close enough to Pod’s family that she saw him very frequently when he was younger. 

“He is,” Jaime smiled fondly, “It’s been a rough couple of years for the kids, I’m grateful that he’s still young enough that hopefully he can still have a happy childhood.” 

Brienne tilted her head, eyes questioning, though she didn’t ask anything, not wanting to overstep. Jaime seemed open though, and waved for her to follow him as they went into the living room to sit on the oversized couch. 

“Their mother- my now ex-wife left us pretty soon after Tommen was born. Myrcella was 4. Cersei- my ex- she started another family and I got custody, which I’m thankful for everyday. Tommen obviously doesn’t know much about his mother, but it was hard for Myrcella and things were tense around the house for the first year. I was scared of messing things up. Luckily my brother was around, and he helped a lot.” Jaime looked down at his hands as he spoke. 

Brienne’s mind flooded with a million questions, but she couldn’t seem to voice them. Instead, she responded, “I’m sorry. It sounds like it was a rough time for the whole family, not just the kids.” Jaime looked up at her and she could see her own fears mirrored in his eyes. Though she’d never voiced those fears to anyone before, she found herself saying, “I know how hard it can be on your own. I mean, obviously it’s different for you and I’ve only been taking care of Pod for about a year but- I can understand what it’s like, day to day, you know?” 

“I don’t think it’s that different.” Jaime answered her, “I mean, you’re as much of a parent now as anyone.” 

Brienne’s heart skipped hearing that. She craved that validation, hearing that she wasn’t just a temporary guardian. She wished Pod still had his family, but she felt like she was his family too now. It felt like he was hers in a way that wasn’t conditional. “You think so?” Her voice was soft, almost wishful, and she hated that she was showing so much vulnerability to a near stranger. 

Before Jaime could answer, Myrcella came barreling down the stairs, with Pod on her heels. They quickly caught sight of the adults and Myrcella ran straight for Brienne. 

“Hey, didn’t I just ask you to be quiet- Tommen is napping,” Jaime reminded his daughter. 

Myrcella gave an apologetic look to Jaime then turned back to Brienne, whispering, though still loudly, “Would you want to play astronaut with us?” Brienne looked between the girl and Jaime, then hesitantly answered, “Sure, how do we play?” 

Myrcella put her little hand in Brienne’s, tugging to make her follow as she walked out of the room. Brienne looked back to see Pod look unsurely at Jaime- clearly Myrcella didn’t share her plan with Pod before hand, but it seemed that this was a game all four of them would be playing. Jaime ruffled Pod’s hair, then extended his hand. Pod took it and followed in Myrcella’s direction. 

… 

After the game, which consisted of Myrcella and Pod on Brienne and Jaime’s shoulders respectively, trying to reach the highest branches and leaves on the trees, pretending the small crabapples they picked were shooting stars or meteors that the other had to dodge. 

Myrcella couldn’t stop giggling, and for once Brienne lost herself in the moment with the children, and she wondered if that’s what it was like when she'd watch Selwyn and Pod play together- when the children’s laughter drowns out the rest of the world. 

At dinner, Brienne was seated in between Pod and Myrcella, while Jaime focused on getting Tommen fed. While Brienne initially wanted to move so the two friends could sit next to each other, Myrcella, and even Pod, insisted on including her in their conversations. 

Brienne couldn’t help but grin at the way Myrcella got Pod out of his shell. He was currently rolling his eyes at Myrcella, gesturing with a piece of bread in his hand as he explained, “But blue is the best color! I mean- it’s a primary color, that means it has to be the best!” 

Myrcella nearly flung pasta sauce onto Brienne as she countered, waving her fork in the air, “Obviously you’ve never seen a sea amenity because they are the prettiest and they’re orange!!”

“Sea anemone, sweetheart,” Jaime corrected her, still pleading with Tommen, who refused to eat. 

“Right. that.” Myrcella said, as if that proved her point. “What do you think, B?” She already adopted the nickname for Brienne as well. 

Brienne shrugged, “I’ve always been a fan of yellow.” 

Myrcella sighed dramatically. As if it was a last resort, she turned to Jaime, “What do you think, Daddy?” 

“I gotta go with Pod on this one. Blue’s the best.” Jaime grinned. Myrcella took an angry bite of her pasta in response. 

“What shade of blue do you like, Jaime?” Pod asked. 

Jaime finally got Tommen to eat a few bites of his food and sat back in his chair triumphantly. He looked at Brienne, then at Pod, and answered simply, “The shade of B’s eyes, like sapphires.”

... 

The shade of B’s eyes. 

The words rang in Brienne’s ears until she and Pod left that night, much later than she had planned for them to stay. She didn’t want to impose, but Jaime seemed happy for them to be there, and Pod was thrilled to meet Ser Pounce, Tommen’s playful cat. Surprisingly, Myrcella and Pod didn’t get paint everywhere, though Brienne knew that she would have to spend at least an hour that night getting the little splatters of paint out of Podrick’s hair. 

As Pod put on his shoes, Myrcella squeezed Brienne’s neck in a tight hug. “You’ll have to come back soon!” 

“We’d love for you two to come back soon,” Jaime confirmed, holding a yawning Tommen in his arms. 

“Thank you,” Brienne smiled, “Of course, you’re also welcome to come over to our house if you’d like.” Myrcella squealled and clapped. 

Tommen lifted his head off of Jaime’s shoulder, “Me too?” 

Brienne stood up and walked over to him, patting his little hand that rested on Jaime’s arm, “Of course, you too.”

Tommen grinned, then held out his other hand to her, a piece of paper folded up in it. “For me?” Brienne asked, smiling. As Tommen nodded, she took the paper, unfolding it. It was the picture he wanted to draw earlier- of her as a knight. The armor was a dark blue color, and matched the large eyes he drew for her. Brienne thanked Tommen for the lovely drawing, then looked to Jaime. The spark in his eyes told her that he might have helped Tommen in the drawing process. 

Like sapphires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading! Hopefully I will be updating soon as I am currently on winter break from college! :)


	4. braids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime and Brienne help Pod and Myrcella get ready for their holiday concert. At the concert, some miscommunications lead to frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay- another update! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story- I'm so glad you are enjoying it so far. This chapter is a bit less fluffy, but we have to have some conflict, right? Haha, hopefully I'll be updating again soon!!! I hope you enjoy!

“So… how was the date?” the corner of Sandor’s mouth curled up in a smirk. 

Brienne rolled her eyes, “It wasn’t a date, it was just a playdate for the kids.” 

Sandor paused, a weight held midair as he repeated, “Playdate,” with a suggestive tone. Brienne threw her towel at him. Sandor laughed, “Fine, fine. I’ll drop it.” 

“Thank you,” Brienne answered, switching weights before joining him again on the matted area of the gym. 

“So… will you be seeing him again?” Sandor asked, continuing the conversation. 

Brienne sighed, “Obviously, Pod and Myrcella are friends so I’m sure we’ll run into each other.” 

“Can I meet him?” 

“What?” Brienne asked, nearly dropping the weight she held. “Since when do you have such an interest in my non-love life?” 

“I don’t know, maybe since you started asking me so many questions about Sansa,” Sandor shot back. 

“Fair,” Brienne conceded. 

“…And since you have the absolute worst taste in men.” Sandor continued. Brienne swatted him with her towel again. 

“At this rate, you’ll be lucky if I ever work out with you again. Next time you won’t have anyone to spot you and you’ll end up getting crushed by a weight you thought you could lift.” 

Sandor laughed, “As if a weight could crush me.” 

They continued bickering through the rest of their workout, though Brienne did spot him, and he did the same for her. As they packed up their things and left, Brienne told him, “Pod’s holiday concert is this Friday. You’re welcome to come if you’d like, you know that Pod always enjoys it when people are able to go to those things, and Sansa and Arya are still in Winterfell so they won’t be there. But,” Brienne added with a sigh, “Jaime will be there. You can meet him. Briefly.” 

Sandor grinned, “I would have gone just for Pod, but nice of you to add about Lannister. I’ll be there.” 

…

Jaime was looking forward to the concert. He knew Myrcella had a solo in one of the songs- she hadn’t stopped talking about it all week- but also, he knew he’d get to see Brienne again. There was something about her that just drew him in. 

When he first met her at the school, he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the woman who refused to ask for help, then only begrudgingly talked to him. It was a nice change of pace, and he enjoyed the banter they shared. Then when she and Pod had come over… he was completely consumed by the desire to talk to her, to know her. He liked the way she blushed when he complimented her eyes, and the way she’d catch his eye after that, clearly still thinking about what he’d said. He wanted to keep complimenting her, just so he could keep seeing that blush. 

He liked Pod, too. Myrcie had friends before, but she never invited them over to the house. Maybe she saw Pod as a kindred spirit, saw the pain he’d dealt with in the past and wanted him to have a friend as much as she needed one. Whatever the reason, he was glad they had each other. 

And now they were nearly late to the concert. Myrcella was adamant about wearing her hair in braids for the concert, but, despite spending over two hours the night before watching video tutorials, Jaime just couldn’t get it right. He was only able to get Myrcella in the car by promising to find someone at the concert who could braid better than he could. 

Jaime carried Tommen on his hip as he ran backstage with Myrcella, searching for Ms. Tyrell, who would surely know how to braid hair. But as he searched, he found someone better. 

“Brienne!” He called out, rushing over to where she was sitting with Pod, consoling the clearly nervous boy. “Hey bud, looking good!” Jaime patted Pod on the shoulder of his red cable-knit sweater. 

“Thanks, Jaime.” Pod mumbled. 

Jaime smiled at Pod, then looked to Brienne, “Please tell me you know how to braid hair.” 

“I do,” Brienne answered, her greeting smile still lighting her eyes. 

Myrcella moved around Jaime and stood in front of Brienne. “Good, because Daddy can’t figure it out, and I need to wear my hair in braids for the concert. Can you help… please?” 

Brienne smiled, “Of course.” Then, she looked at Pod, who was staring at the ground, biting his lip furiously. She looked to Jaime, eyes pleading. 

Jaime seemed to understand and knelt down next to Pod, “You know, sometimes I get nervous before I have to give a presentation at work. You know what helps?” 

“What?” Pod asked hopefully. 

“Taking a walk around the building, it gets all the nervous energy out. How about we leave the girls here and go walk around for a few minutes?” 

Pod looked at Brienne, who told him that it was ok to go. Pod looked at Jaime and nodded, taking his hand. Jaime looked at Brienne and mouthed, “We’ll be back soon,” as he led Pod down the hallway. 

Brienne turned to Myrcella who held out a brush to her, already prepared. Laughing, Brienne got to work. She used to braid Sansa’s hair for her before any formals she went to in college. Luckily, Myrcella’s hair was long enough that she was able to do something a little more intricate, which she hoped would make the little girl happy. 

Once Brienne finished braiding Myrcella’s hair, she opened her camera on her phone to show Myrcella, who instantly started squealing. “It’s perfect!!” She hugged Brienne, then held up the phone, taking a photo of the two of them. 

Brienne smiled, then looked for Jaime and Pod, who just re-entered the room. Jaime was grinning at Brienne and Myrcella, having watched the interaction, which made Brienne blush again. Pod was also smiling, seemingly over his nerves. 

As the boys joined them, Brienne pointed towards the group of children surrounding Ms. Tyrell, “It looks like you will be starting soon. Why don’t you join the others and Jaime, Tommen, and I will find our seats.” 

Myrcella nodded and, before he could be nervous again, she grabbed Pod’s hand and dragged them towards the other children. 

Jaime laughed at the two then turned to Brienne, “Would you like to sit with us?” 

Brienne’s smile diminished slightly, “I’d love to, but my- um, I’m meeting someone and I don’t know if he’s here yet.” She wasn’t sure if she should call Sandor a friend or a coworker and got tongue-tied as she tried to speak. “I’m sure I’ll see you after the concert, though?” She asked in a sort of question. 

“Oh, sure. Yes, that sounds good,” Jaime answered, seemingly tongue-tied as well. His smile dimmed a bit, though Brienne couldn’t tell why. She was a bit disappointed that she had to wait for Sandor and not get a seat with Jaime now- she’d have to make sure Sandor knew to text her next time they met somewhere- but was Jaime disappointed, too? 

“Well, I’ll see you later then,” Brienne said with a small smile. She looked at Tommen who was grinning at her, “Bye, Tommen. It’s good to see you!” With one more look to Jaime, Brienne ran off to find Sandor. 

… 

Maybe it was a family member- a brother, or her father, or- but why would she have stumbled when saying who he was? Jaime’s mind raced as he sat down in the audience. He sat Tommen down in the seat next to him, and hoped that the other two seats next to him would stay open so he could maybe wave Brienne- and whoever- over. But, those seats filled quickly as parents came flooding into the auditorium. 

Every once in a while, Jaime would scan the audience, looking for the tall blonde. Eventually he spotted her a few rows back- and immediately wished he hadn’t. 

The man next to her was too young to be her father, and looked nothing like her- definitely not a relative. From what Jaime could see in the dimming lights, he was tall and looked very built, with shoulder-length brown hair. Nothing like Jaime. Shaking his head, Jaime turned back around to face the stage; maybe he’d never had a chance with Brienne. Maybe her blushed were because she was uncomfortable, not because she was flattered. The man must have been her boyfriend. Jaime’s stomach turned. 

He looked back once more and accidentally caught Brienne’s eyes. He gave her a small smile and a wave before turning back around. 

… 

The concert was adorable, and Brienne may have taken a ridiculous amount of videos of Pod as he and Myrcella stood side by side, loudly singing the various holiday carols. Every once in a while, one of them would mess up and make the other one to giggle, also messing up the words. Adorable. Even Sandor seemed to enjoy it. 

Afterwards, the children met their parents in the audience, and Brienne waited for Pod, while also scanning the room for Jaime. She pointed him out to Sandor as they walked in, but unfortunately any seats near him were already taken. 

Once Pod came out, Brienne asked him where Myrcella was. 

“She went home already.” Pod said, a bit sadly. 

“Oh,” Brienne’s heart sank just a little. She looked at Sandor, who seemed to be passing some judgement, then looked at her phone. There was a text from Jaime. 

Jaime: Sorry we couldn’t meet up again, Tommen fell asleep during the concert and I wanted to get him home. You’re welcome to bring Pod over again this Saturday if you’d like. 

Brienne read the text, then read it again. She supposed she understood wanting to get Tommen home, though she was a bit disappointed she wouldn’t get to see him again- and also that she’d have to hear about it from Sandor for the rest of the week. She wondered if Jaime was only inviting over Pod, and just asking her to drop him off. 

No, Brienne tried to tell herself, don’t be ridiculous. Nothing happened. He had to leave because of Tommen, it wasn’t something you did- but Brienne couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. She looked over to see Sandor trying to enthusiastically congratulate Pod on his performance, though Sandor never was a very enthusiastic man. Nevertheless, as both were distracted, she sent back a text to Jaime. 

Brienne: Saturday would be great! If you’d like to, the three of you can come to our house instead. Or I can bring Tommen over to yours. Whichever you’d prefer. 

It only took a few seconds for Jaime’s reply. 

Jaime: I know Myrcie would love it if we came over. As long as you don’t mind. Does noon work? 

Brienne: Yep! See you then!

As she shut off her phone, Brienne felt better knowing Jaime agreed to come over with Myrcella and Tommen. A little bit better.


	5. miscommunications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime thinks Brienne is dating Sandor, Brienne thinks that Jaime isn't interested, Myrcella takes a bit of a tumble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for following along with this story!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Brienne nervously rearranged the pillows on the couch as she waited for Jaime and the kids to arrive. Only when she noticed Pod watching did she stop, realizing how much she’d let her anxiety run her that morning. She didn’t want to contribute to Pod’s own anxiety; he’d already become much more nervous over the past 4 years. 

Brienne sat down on the couch, shoving her hands under her legs to keep from fidgeting. She tried to smile at Pod, “Are you and Myrcella going to paint today?” 

Pod hopped down from his perch on one of the kitchen stools and came over to sit by Brienne. Her heart melted just a tad, and the nervous ball in the pit of her stomach disappeared as he leaned against her arm. “Probably,” he said. 

Brienne moved a hand to wrap her arm around him, hugging him closer. While Pod was affectionate, giving hugs whenever she picked him up from school or took him to bed at night, he only ever sought comfort like this in the past after he’d had a nightmare and was too scared to fall asleep. 

“You ok, Pod?” Brienne asked, squeezing him lightly. 

Pod shrugged and bit his lip, unsure what to say for a few moments. Brienne waited patiently for him to say something, but before he could speak the door bell rang. 

“That’s probably the Lannisters.” Brienne said, looking at Pod, “You sure you’re ok-“ Pod was up and bounding to the door before she could finish her question. She sighed and followed him, making a mental note to check in with him after they left that evening. 

Pod threw the door open and smiled at the trio in front of him. “Hi!” He said to all of them, opening the door wider. 

Brienne stepped into the entryway, eyes instantly going to Jaime, who stood in the doorway with Tommen on his hip and a hand on a bouncing Myrcella’s shoulder. She smiled, “Come on in.” 

In a matter of seconds, Myrcella had her shoes off, gave Brienne a hug, and was off running with Pod to what was now his playroom. It used to be Brienne’s study, but she decided to change it once Pod came to live with her. 

Jaime walked in, a bit hesitantly. He set Tommen down to take his shoes off, then taking his own off. Tommen walked to Brienne and gave her a shy smile. 

“Would you like to draw again, Tommen? Pod left out some of his crayons for you to use.” 

Tommen gave a toothy grin and nodded enthusiastically, slipping his small hand into Brienne’s for her to lead the way. Brienne looked back at Jaime, who remained on the doormat, uncharacteristically awkward, as he looked around. 

“We could all go to the living room?” She asked more to Jaime, gesturing with her head for him to follow as she led Tommen there. 

Tommen quickly spotted the paper and crayons she left out on the table and plopped down onto the floor in front of it. Brienne eyed the pillows she had been arranging earlier as she sat down, her stomach flipping. Jaime followed suit, though he sat at the opposite end of the couch, twisted a bit so he could face her. 

After a moment with only Tommen’s intense scribbling to fill the silence, Brienne said, “Myrcella was great in the concert. She’s quite a singer.” 

The tension at least fractured, Jaime smiled, “She was so happy to get that solo; she’d been practicing for weeks. Quite loudly,” Jaime chuckled, his tone anything but annoyed. 

"Pod's the opposiite, whenever he practices, he does it so faintly, as if he doesn't want me to hear it," Brienne said, "But whenever he goes to my dad's house, they'll practice together apparently, belting it out. I asked my dad why Pod didn't want me to hear- apparently he wanted the concert to be a surprise," Brienne shook her head wtih a small laugh. She first found out Pod would only practice with her father and thought it might've been because Pod wasn't comfortable with her. After that nerve-wracking moment, she was very relieved when she found out the real reason. 

Jaime smiled at her, and the way he looked at her brought back the words he spoke, when he complimented her eyes. She tried to shake the thought away- it was just a friendly compliment. Regardless, they continued talking about the kids and their interests- Tommen chiming in every once in a while- until they ended back up on the subject of the concert. 

Jaime told Brienne, “Sorry we couldn’t meet after the conceret, just with Tommen and everything-“ 

“No, no worries,” Brienne cut in, not wanting him to feel bad about it, regardless of how it made her feel. “I totally understand. Pod was tired, too. But he mentioned he got to see Myrcella after the show. Obviously, he would have liked to see you and Tommen, too, but you’re here now. And Sandor, he wanted to meet you and say hello. But there are other times for that.” Brienne knew she was rambling and nearly bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself. She didn’t know what it was about Jaime that made her feel like that. 

“Sandor, that’s the man you were meeting there?” Jaime asked, his eyebrows half raised. 

“Yes, he’s-“ before Brienne could finish, say that he was her co-worker/friend, there was a scream from down the hall. 

Both Jaime and Brienne were up and rushing toward the sound in the span of a single breath. Brienne led the way and they found Myrcella crying on the floor, a hand clutched to her leg. Pod was next to her, tears running down his own face as he held a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

Brienne sprang into work mode, and knelt down next to Myrcella. “What happened, darling?” 

“I… tripped and… fell… while we were…. playing…” Myrcella explained between breaths. Brienne tried to sooth her as she spoke, running a hand down her curls. She couldn’t tell from where Myrcella was what happened, but by the look of her leg, she wasn’t seriously injured. 

“It was an accident, I don't know what happened!” Pod cried, worried that he was the one that hurt her. 

Jaime swooped in, an arm around Myrcella and a hand on Pod, “We know, bud. These things happen.” His expression was pained as he wiped away one of Pod’s tears. 

“Why don’t you go to the living room and try to calm down, and maybe you and Tommen could color for a bit,” Brienne told her boy. She looked at Jaime, “I can take Myrcella over to one of the bedrooms and have a look at her leg, if that’s ok with you.” She told Jaime about her work as a physical therapist, and she had previously worked as an EMT after college. 

“Yeah, yeah. That would be good. I can help get Pod settled down, then I’ll come back and see how she is.” Jaime said. Brienne’s heart warmed for just a moment knowing that Jaime trusted her to take care of Myrcella, and was willing to calm down Pod while she took care of her. 

Brienne nodded as Jaime picked up a still crying Pod. As he walked back to the living room, she saw the way Pod’s arms tightened around Jaime’s neck. Brienne looked back to Myrcella and gently scooped her up, one hand on her back, the other under her knees, and carried her to her room-she figured it would be easier if Myrcella was sitting somewhere that wasn't the floor. 

Once Myrcella was on the bed, Brienne knelt down to inspect her leg. “Alright, where does it hurt?”

With a sniffle, Myrcella pointed to her ankle. Brienne took Myrcella’s sock off and felt for swelling with the pads of her fingertips. She looked back at Myrcella, who was rubbing at her eyes, tears slowing down. 

“It’ll be ok, Myrcella.” Brienne cooed to the girl. “I think you sprained your ankle.” She ran to the bathroom attached to her room and grabbed the tissue box, offering it to Myrcella. Sniffling, she grabbed a tissue. "I know it hurts, but it will get better soon, I promise." 

“Thanks, B” Myrcella said quietly. 

At those simple words, Brienne’s heart swelled. She put a hand on Myrcella’s back and rubbed soothing circles as the little girl calmed down. 

Eventually, Jaime returned, going straight for Myrcella’s side and looked expectantly at Brienne. Before she could speak, Jaime also put a hand on Myrcella’s back- a hand that accidentally brushed over Brienne’s own. 

Brienne didn’t believe in fireworks or some sort of electric feeling at the touch of a person’s hand, but even as she moved her hand back and stood up, Brienne could swear she felt a tingle lingering where his fingers brushed hers. 

“She sprained her ankle,” Brienne said, not looking Jaime directly in the eye. She was very aware of the blush that was spreading across her cheeks. “We- you can take her to the doctor, but there's not much they’ll be able to do for it.” She looked at Myrcella, “The best thing you can do is get some rest and elevate your leg, keeping ice on that ankle for a few days. The swelling should go down and the pain will diminish.” 

Pausing a moment, Brienne added, “Would you like some ice, now? You can sit on the couch in the living room and we can prop your foot up while you and Pod watch a movie.” 

Jaime looked at Myrcella, “What do you think, Myrcie? Would you want to stay here with Pod for a bit or go home and ice it?” Brienne couldn’t read the look in his eyes as he spoke. 

Myrcella looked at her father, then up at Brienne and said softly, “Can I stay here for a bit?” Jaime turned to Brienne, too, still with that same expression. 

“Of course, I can go get some ice and we’ll set you up on the couch.” Brienne said with a smile. She was glad Myrcella still wanted to stay; though she was sure Myrcella wasn’t the type to hold a grudge, she worried that this incident could have put a damper on her friendship with Pod. 

A look to Jaime told Brienne that he would carry Myrcella back to the living room. Brienne nodded and left to get the ice and check on Pod. As she rounded the corner to the living room, Brienne’s steps faltered as she finally realized just how deep her feelings for Jaime were growing. Closing her eyes, Brienne allowed the feeling to consume her for just a moment, before she opened her eyes again and looked to Pod, acknowledging that nothing would happen with Jaime, and even if there was some slight chance that he did return that feeling- because Pod and Myrcella’s friendship came first and wasn’t worth risking. With a new reign on her feelings, Brienne sighed and continued on. 

… 

Jaime paused a moment before lifting Myrcella off the bed, his mind racing as he realized where he was. He tried not to be too curious, tried to remember the way Brienne blushed at his awkwardness when he brushed her hand minutes ago. But he couldn’t help but take in her bedroom. 

The bed was a pale blue color, simple and neat. The whole room itself was very minimalist, no additional decorations just to fill the wall space. But her dresser, her night table- all of the open counter space was covered with picture frames. Jaime tried not to look too closely, not wanting to see a photo of her and Sandor, which he knew would tug at his heart, but he couldn’t help but notice a few; a photo of her and a red-headed woman in graduation gowns, arms around each other in a tight hug, a photo of Pod and a tall, grey-haired man who was quite obviously Brienne’s father laughing together. 

The last photo he saw as he carried Myrcella out of the room was an old one- Brienne, a young girl with the same light blonde hair and bright eyes, and her father on a beach somewhere, Brienne grinning as she held up a large sand dollar towards the camera. Jaime couldn't take his eyes off of the photo as he shut off the lights, trying not to think about how easily he could imagine Brienne and Myrcella standing together in a similar photo, how seamlessly he could picture their lives coming together. But, no. She was with someone, and thinking like that wasn’t good for anybody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the angst- at least due to this particular communication- will end soon! Thanks for reading!


	6. day off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne and Pod have an important conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of wrote itself. It wasn't originally going to be its own chapter, but I think it was necessary. Super fluffy. I hope you enjoy.

Brienne sat across the table from Pod, sipping her coffee as she waited for him to finish breakfast. Despite her whirling thoughts after the Lannisters left on Saturday, she still remembered that Pod had seemed nervous before they visited. She tried to find a time to talk to him about it the next day, but Sundays were spent at Selwyn’s house, and Pod had other things on his mind. 

“Should I bring it up again?” Brienne asked her father the day before, “I don’t know if something was wrong or why he was nervous. Is it better to ask if he wants to talk about something or should I wait until he brings it up again?” 

Selwyn shrugged, a faint smile playing at his lips, “I remember worrying about you like that. Wondering what was going on in that head of yours.” He sighed, “You said Pod just came over to sit with you?” 

“Yes,” Brienne responded, “He never really seeks me out like that, though, just wanting to be held or comforted.” 

“Do you think it could just be him wanting to feel closer to you?” Selwyn asked, knowing the insecurities Brienne had about raising Pod, how she wondered if she was enough of a parent for him. 

It took a moment for Brienne to respond. She wanted that to be the case, but she also didn’t want to get her hopes up. “I don’t think so. It seemed like he wanted to say something.” She ran a hand through her hair, “I’ll wait it out, see how he is tomorrow and maybe ask him then.” 

Brienne snapped back to the present, in her kitchen, watching Pod eat his cereal. He seemed happy enough this morning, humming absently as he ate. Every so often, though, he would pause and look up at Brienne, then resume his breakfast. 

When she caught his glance, Brienne asked, “Is everything alright, Pod?” She added after a moment, “We can talk about it if you’d like.” 

Pod suddenly became very fascinated with his breakfast, swirling the cereal with his spoon as he spoke, “Maybe. It’s just something Myrcie said.” 

Brienne set down her coffee and looked at Pod, waiting patiently for him to continue. She gently prompted, “What did she say?” 

“It was after dinner when we were at her house, after we were all playing in the backyard,” Pod started. Brienne could tell he was having trouble getting the words out. “She said she wished she had a mom like you.” 

Brienne’s heart stopped for a moment as she processed that. Both the fact that Myrcella wanted a mom like her, implying that she was a good parent, and that it had stayed with Pod. Brienne opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t find the words. 

Pod asked, “Is that- are you my mom now?” 

Again, Brienne was speechless. She stood up on shaky legs, then knelt down on the floor beside Pod’s chair. At the beginning, when he first came to live with her, Pod would ask about his parents a lot, not quite understanding what had happened, why they weren’t coming back. She took him to a therapist, and they started to work through what happened. But over a year later, they still hadn’t ever really talked about how they would move forward, beyond the fact that she was his guardian now. 

Brienne put a hand on his cheek, sure that her eyes were just as glassy as his. “Your mom- even though she’s gone, she’s still your mom. And I- well, I’d like to think I’m more of a parent to you now, but I also will never try to replace her.” Her voice was shaky. Pod nodded, and Brienne swallowed her the rising lump in her throat, “You can think of me however you want to- whether as a parent or a guardian, or just Aunt B,” Brienne smiled, “whatever makes it easier for you.” 

The tears started to roll down Pod’s face, and Brienne wiped a few away before Pod launched himself into her arms. His voice was muffled against her hair as he said, “I like to think of you as a mom,” He said. Brienne stilled and moved back to look at him. Pod continued, “You’re like a second mom to me.” 

“That’s-“ the tears were falling down Brienne’s face now, “Thank you.” That was all she could say. “And you, you’re my little boy, now, Pod. You’re my family.” 

Pod beamed through his tears. He asked shyly, “Can I still call you B, though?” 

Brienne laughed, “Of course you can.” She hugged him again, a weight that she didn’t know was there lifting off of her chest. Looking at the clock, Brienne added, “It looks like we’re gonna be late to dropping you off this morning,” Brienne said, though she didn’t really mind. She looked at Pod, his eyes puffy, though bright. She was sure she looked the same. “Wanna take the day off?” 

…

After a string of texts to Sandor- luckily she only had two appointments today and he was able to cover them- and a call to the school, Brienne and Pod spent the day together, curled up on the couch in their PJs. They marathoned Pod’s favorite movies, interrupted only by the decision to bake cookies mid-afternoon. Brienne didn’t care that it resulted in the entire kitchen somehow getting splattered with flour and sugar. It was Pod’s day, and he could make all the mess he wanted to. 

After they ate dinner that night, and Pod was asleep against her shoulder, Brienne got a text. She expected it to be Sandor- he pretended he was upset that she took the day off, though she knew that he didn’t mind. It was such a rarity for her to take a day off that he knew it was important. When she looked at the screen, however, it was Jaime. 

Jaime: Myrcie said Pod wasn’t at school today. Is he ok?

Brienne started to type a response, ‘Yes, thanks for checking.’ She hesitated, unsure what to say. But she wanted to explain, to tell someone how much today meant to her. So, she typed, ‘Can I call you for a minute?’ 

A few seconds after she hit send, her phone rang. Carefully, she slipped a pillow under Pod’s head and stood up so as not to disturb him. Once she was down the hall, in her bedroom, Brienne answered, “Hey.” 

“Hey,” Jaime’s response was warm, though questioning, “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, better than that actually,” Brienne started, then explained to him everything that happened, though she left out how the conversation started- with what Myrcella said. “Sorry to call you about it, I just really needed to talk through it all.”

Throughout her story, Jaime was attentive, only saying a word here or there to show he was still listening. “Don’t apologize,” He said, “I’m really happy for you. And Pod. I’m glad you were able to talk about that.” His tone was so sincere, she could almost hear the smile in his voice. 

“Thanks for listening,” Brienne said, sitting back against her pillows. She’d been pacing as she talked, but finally calmed down once she got it all out. 

“Anytime,” Jaime said, though there was something in his voice that Brienne couldn’t understand- like he was sad or resigned- something. 

“Well Pod will be back in class tomorrow, so Myrcie will have her partner in crime back.” 

Jaime let out a laugh, the sound rumbling through the phone, “She’ll be thrilled.” 

There was a pause, then both tried to talk at the same time. 

“Thanks, again-“

“So about-“ 

“What?” Brienne asked. 

“Um, nothing,” Jaime answered, “I was just thinking maybe we can take the kids to the park or something this Saturday.” 

“That would be great,” Brienne said, “I think they’d enjoy that.” 

“Great,” Jaime repeated. After a pause, he added, “Well, I should probably get going.” 

“Yeah, ok,” Brienne said, trying to ignore the disappointment that their conversation would be ending. She shoved the feeling down. “Have a good night.” 

“You too,” Jaime said. He quickly added, “And Brienne?” 

“Yeah?” She tried to ignore the way he said her name. 

“I'm glad you called me. And I’m really happy for you and Pod.” 

Brienne smiled, “Thanks, Jaime.” 

His voice seemed to mirror the warmth she felt growing in her chest as he said, “Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! We'll be getting back to the Jaime/Brienne conflict in the next chapter, but I really just needed a sweet moment with Pod and Brienne.


	7. tiny warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime picks up Myrcella from school and meets another person in Brienne's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really fun chapter to write. I hope you enjoy it!!!

Usually, at the end of the school day, Myrcella would ride to her dance class with a classmate, Daenerys Targaryen, and Jaime would pick her up after that. However, because of her sprained ankle, Myrcella was skipping dance for the week and Jaime was picking her up directly from school. 

He’d picked her up a few times before and knew the drill; all of the parents who picked up their kids waited in the main lobby until individual classes were dismissed. Before, he’d never really noticed the other parents. He would try to ignore the single moms openly staring at him, or worse, trying to flirt. But now, he looked for Brienne, wondering if she picked up Podrick or if he rode the bus home. 

That morning, Jaime had woken up to a text from Brienne, his heart galloping in surprise. They had only just spoke the night previous, when Brienne had talked about her day off with Pod. 

Brienne: I’m horrible for not asking yesterday, how’s Myrcella’s ankle?

Jaime: Better, she said it still hurts but she can walk on it. Just no dance class for the week. And don’t blame yourself, you had a big day. 

Brienne: Still… if she needs anything, don’t hesitate to call or swing by my office. 

Jaime: Will do. Thanks!

He doubted he’d see her, since she worked full time. Jaime was lucky to be able to work from home when he needed to, so that he could pick up Myrcella and Tommen. 

A few minutes after he arrived, Ms. Tyrell’s class came bounding down the hall, Myrcella taking her time walking at the back of the group with Pod by her side. 

“Pod,” A girl at the opposite end of the lobby from him called. Jaime looked over; she was short and fairly young, with dark brown hair pulled up into a ponytail. Jaime tried to be casual as he walked over to her. 

As he approached he realized she was on the phone, “Yeah, yeah Sansa, it’ll just be me and Gendry. Well if you don’t want to third wheel, why don’t you invite Brienne.” Her lips curled into a smirk as she added, “Or Sandor.” She looked over and saw Jaime watching her a bit curiously. “Sans, I gotta go. Yeah some weird dude is looking at me. Yeah bye.” The girl didn’t break her glare at Jaime as she ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket, “Can I help you?” 

“Oh, sorry. I just, um, I’m Myrcie’s dad, Pod’s friend,” He gestured towards the two walking together. He hesitated, trying to start the conversation, “I’m Jaime Lannister. You’re picking up Pod?” At first he just wanted to introduce himself so that he could say hi to Pod, but then he heard Brienne’s name come up, and Sandor’s, and wanted to know more. 

“Hi,” The girl said with a flat tone, still eyeing him suspiciously. 

At the same time, Pod caught his eye and picked up his speed, “Hi Jaime!!” When the two reached the adults, Pod walked over to Jaime first, reaching to give him hug. Jaime knelt down and hugged Pod tightly. Then, he hugged Myrcella, lifting her up in his arms as he stood up. 

“How’s the leg, sweetie?” He asked her. 

Myrcella sighed dramatically, “Manageable.” 

Pod walked over to the girl who was now watching Jaime curiously, “Hi, Arya.” 

Arya’s eyes snapped to Pod, “Hey, kid. Ready to go?” She extended a hand out, which Pod took as they started to walk towards the exit. 

Pod looked to the right at Jaime and Myrcella, who were also walking, “B said we’re gonna go to the park with you on Saturday.” 

“That’s the plan,” Jaime answered. 

Arya cut in, “So you and B spend a lot of time together then?” 

“Yeah,” Jaime answered, shifting Myrcella in his arms, “I mean, with the kids, obviously.” 

“Obviously?” Arya repeated with a scoff, “What, like she’s not good enough to spend time with her alone?” Arya picked up the pace, Pod half-running to keep up with her. 

Jaime covered the distance quickly, though, his legs much longer than hers. “That’s not what I meant,” he said firmly, “I just meant, you know, because of Sandor, we just spend time together with the kids and-“ 

“Because of Sandor?” Arya asked, now stopped. Pod and Myrcie exchanged a confused look, then shrugged. Jaime set Myrcella down, and gestured for the two kids to go play on the playground a few feet away for a few minutes. 

Jaime looked down, cringing as he said the words, “I mean, I know that they’re together and I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression about Brienne and I spending time together, since-“

With a laugh, Arya responded “Sandor is Brienne’s co-worker. And her friend. I think I’d know if they were dating given that my sister is in love with him.” 

“Your sister?” Jaime tried to process everything she said and momentarily wondered if Brienne and Arya were sisters. He was tired of the confusion. “Wait, what?”

Arya sighed, “I hope you have a good reason for wanting to know this, Lannister.” With a glance to the kids, Arya explained, “Brienne and Sandor work together. My sister, Sansa, is good friends with Brienne, well our whole family is really. But anyways, Brienne has been trying to get Sansa and Sandor together for ages. Brienne and Sandor…” Arya trailed off momentarily, a laugh escaping, “that would never work.” 

“So Brienne is available?” The words were out of Jaime’s mouth before he could stop himself. 

Arya eyed him again, though the look was less harsh. “That depends. Are you a dick?” 

Jaime laughed, deciding then that Arya was alright. “I don’t think so. I try not to be.” 

“Would you break her heart?” Arya asked protectively, a threat glistening in her eyes. 

“Never,” Jaime answered, making a note to never get on this tiny warrior’s bad side. 

Arya must have believed him. She nodded once, then said, “Yes, she’s available.” 

Jaime smirked, “Good to know.” All the times Brienne blushed at him rushed through his mind. So it wasn’t because she was uncomfortable. Oh. Oh, this would be fun. 

Arya called back over the kids, then said in a low voice, “I’ll be watching you, Lannister.” 

Jaime just grinned and stuck his hand out, “Nice to meet you, too, Arya.” 

Arya hesitated a moment before extending her own hand and shaking his. Jaime said goodbye to Pod and scooped Myrcella up, heading to their car. He couldn’t help but grin; Brienne was single, and it seemed he had an ally who, though skeptical and frankly a little scary, seemed to approve of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)) I really loved writing the interaction between Arya and Jaime!!


	8. park bench

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime shares some news with Brienne while they are at the park with the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it!! Thank you for reading and supporting this story!

On Saturday, Brienne showed up 10 minutes early to the park with Pod in tow, but to her surprise Jaime was already there. Pod let go of Brienne’s hand and ran over to the Lannisters. He gave Myrcella a tight squeeze then hugged Tommen quickly before turning to Jaime. 

Even from the short distance, Brienne could hear Pod’s little “Hello, Jaime” and see the wide grin on Jaime’s face, before he gave Pod an enthusiastic high five. 

Jaime looked over, the grin still lighting up his face, as Brienne joined them. She smiled back, trying to ignore the heat she could feel rising in her cheeks as he looked at her like that. She squatted down next to Myrcella. 

“How’s the ankle, Myrcie?” She asked. She and Jaime had been texting throughout the week and she knew Myrcella was better, and the way she was walking today seemed completely fine, but she also wanted to hear it from the girl herself. 

“All better!!” Myrcella answered giddily, “Look!” She skipped in a circle around the little group, taking Pod with her as she went. 

Laughing along with her, Brienne said, “I’m glad to hear it.” She looked over to Tommen, giving him a hug as well. He nestled into her shoulder, refusing to leave her side. 

Brienne looked back to Jaime, who explained, “He had a rough night.” Brienne looked back at the boy, surprised that he turned to her for comfort. She picked him up as she stood, keeping him on her hip as she and Jaime headed to the benches while Pod and Myrcella ran over to the small playground. 

As they sat down, Tommen curled himself up in Brienne’s lap. Jaime offered to take him back, but Brienne waved away the offer, silently pleased that the boy sought her out. Jaime just shrugged. 

At first, they watched the children play in silence, but Brienne kept catching Jaime sneak a glance at her and Tommen, a light playing in his eyes. When Brienne would catch his eyes, Jaime would just smile and offer her one of the peanuts he was snacking on. 

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Brienne noted to him. 

Jaime just shrugged again, the corner of his lips pulling up once again, “What can I say, I just got some good news this week.” 

“Oh?” Brienne asked, her tone slightly prompting. 

His grin turned more into a smirk as he answered, “The woman I like- I just found out that she’s available. You see, I was under the impression she was seeing someone, but one of her friends told me otherwise.” 

Brienne’s own smile faltered a bit, “That’s great. I’m really happy for you.” She doubted she succeeded at keeping the disappointment out of her voice. 

Keeping her gaze steady on the playground ahead, Brienne hoped that was the end of the conversation. But Jaime continued, “While she was a bit scary, I’m glad I met Arya.” 

At that, Brienne whipped her head around to look at Jaime. “What?” Her voice sounded breathless. 

Jaime smirked again, “Arya, she’s the one who told me that you and Sandor weren’t dating.” 

There was a lot to process in that sentence. Brienne tried, “Sandor and I? Arya… wait I’m the woman?” 

Warm laughter rang in Brienne’s ears as Jaime turned to face her, “Yes, Brienne. You are the woman.” Brows still furrowed, Brienne just stared at him. Jaime continued, “When you brought Sandor to the show, I thought you two were seeing each other. I started to worry that I flirted too much earlier, that I made you uncomfortable. But then Arya told me that you are in fact single, though only after I badgered her for a few minutes and she deemed me worthy of the information. So, now I’m free to flirt with you again, and I couldn’t be happier.” 

“I…” Brienne started, a blush reddening her cheeks. She looked at Tommen on her lap, the boy oblivious to the revelation Jaime just made. She lifted him slightly, handing him over to Jaime. She needed to stand, needed to pace. 

“You like me.” Brienne stated, a half-question as she walked back and forth. 

Jaime bounced Tommen on his knee as he nodded, “I do.”

“Why?”

Placing Tommen on the bench, Jaime bolted upright. “Brienne, you’re wonderful. You’re so good with Pod, and you’re sweet with Tommen and Myrcella. The way you talk to me, whether you’re just being sarcastic or you’re actually opening up to me… it’s the best feeling in the world. And you’re eyes…”

Said eyes widened, and something seemed to clear in Brienne’s mind. She believed him. But… “Jaime, look, I can’t say that I don’t have feelings for you, too. But we can’t. If anything were to happen, it would affect Pod and Myrcella, and I couldn’t-“

“It could be a positive for them, too. They would probably get to see each other more often, you know, when we go on dates- we could get a sitter to watch them together. And we can all go places together. Like today, only more often.” 

Brienne still shook her head, “But if things went bad, then they wouldn’t see each other as much. Or they might get their hopes up about us and we’d let them down.” She sighed, “Myrcella is Pod’s first real friend, and I could never be responsible for that ending.” 

Jaime knew, at least on his part, he would never let her go if she gave them a chance. This was it for him; he made that decision the moment Arya told him Brienne was single. But he also knew she needed reassurance. “If that happens, I know that I wouldn’t let that affect Pod and Myrcie. Their friendship means just as much to Myrcie, and I care about both of them, regardless of what happens. And we could always take things slow… we don’t have to get their hopes up until we know for sure that this is something real, something we both want.” He knew it was real, but he would take things as slow as she needed. 

“I don’t know,” Brienne continued pacing. Jaime saw that as progress- it wasn’t a no. 

He sighed, “If you don’t want this, say no, and we can go on pretending this conversation never happened. But if you do want this, and you’re hesitating for the kids, say yes. We’re adults, and we can handle this. I promise I won’t let this change anything for them.” 

Brienne sat back down on the bench, next to Tommen, looking forward at the playground again, where Pod was pushing Myrcella on one of the swings.

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Jaime would give her time- he wouldn’t say anything else until she decided.

“Ok,” Brienne’s voice was a whisper. Jaime looked over at her, sunlight dancing in his eyes. “BUT,” she continued, “We need to have a trial date or something first, even if we go slow. Just so we know that this is right.” 

Jaime nodded, “I’ll take that.” He held out a hand to her, in front of Tommen, who looked from his dad to Brienne. “Shake on it?” 

Brienne finally allowed herself to smile slightly as she rolled her eyes, taking his hand. As if he could sense the tone, Tommen burst into a fit of giggles, clapping as the two shook hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I do have a bit of a question regarding this fic and I would love some feedback about it: 
> 
> Alright, so as of right now I'm questioning how much longer this fic should be. I still have the roughly 12 chapter outline that would close out the story and follow until the beginning of Brienne and Jaime's relationship, but part of me wonders if this story had enough of a plot. It just doesn't feel very cohesive to me, and I don't know if its just because the conflict was resolved moderately easily or if it was just too fluffy (I mean, not too fluffy, but just lacking in angst/tension). I don't know. I'm sorry I'm rambling a bit here, but if you all could give me some input on if the story has been lacking/what I could do to make it better going forward or if I should continue with the outline as it is. Thanks. <3


	9. keeping score

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Brienne and Jaime's trial date. Arya babysits, and Jaime meets Sansa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the support for the previous chapter and the story as a whole. 
> 
> I apologize for the delay, it took a while to adjust to the new semester, and then this past week I had some mental health issues which hadn't been that severe since about last year. But I'm doing better now and I really wanted to get this chapter out. It's been difficult staying motivated with everything, but I do hope to get back on a semi-regular update schedule. I don't want to make excuses, but I also think it's good to share sometimes, especially with mental health related things, so that we know we're not alone in that regard. 
> 
> That said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Only a few seconds after Myrcella rang the doorbell, Pod whipped the door open, grinning brightly. While Jaime and Brienne hadn’t exactly explained what they were doing or where they were going, the kids didn’t really care; they were just happy they’d get to spend a night together having a “sleepover”, even though Brienne was very firm that they would be back by 9pm at the latest. 

Myrcella ran after Pod. Tommen followed, wobbling a few steps behind them. Jaime smiled, stepping into the now familiar home. As he shut the door, a voice spoke from the right, “So, Lannister. You work pretty quickly, huh?” 

Jaime smiled as he looked over, “Hello to you too, Arya.” 

“I mean,” Arya continued, not greeting him in response, “it was only a little over a week ago that I told you she was single, and now here we are; I’m stuck with 3 kids for the night while you two are off on your- as Brienne puts it- ‘trial date.’ Whatever that means.” 

“Sorry, if it’s an inconvenience for you-“ Jaime started. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bills he had folded up, “Here.” 

Arya took the money, rifling through it, “What’s this for?”

“For babysitting. I mean, I’m sure that Brienne pays you, but since you have two extra kids to watch I wanted to pay you additional money.” He paused, feeling awkward, “If it’s not enough, I can give you more-“

“No, it’s not enough.” Arya said, stone-faced. As Jaime reached for his wallet, Arya laughed, “I’m kidding, Lannister. Although it’s good to know that you’d pay more.” She smirked, “Honestly I enjoy watching the kids, it gives me a break from campus and homework. You didn't have to pay me extra in any case. ” 

Jaime shrugged, mumbling that it was no big deal. He always felt awkward about money, knowing that he had been fortunate enough to be comfortable his whole life. 

“One favor, though.” Arya said. When Jaime nodded, she continued, “So, Sansa is upstairs with Brienne right now, helping her get ready. Maybe when they come down or on your non-date or whatever, why don’t you suggest a double-date with you two and Sansa and Sandor.” 

Jaime smirked, “You enjoy playing match-maker, don't you?” 

Arya rolled her eyes, “I’m tired of those two dancing around each other. They just need to get it over with and either date or hookup and move on.” 

“I’ll work on it,” Jaime agreed, as he heard footsteps from the stairs. 

“Jaime Lannister,” A red headed woman called down to him, her voice firm. Where he expected simply an older version of Arya, Sansa was a complete surprise. She was tall, with long red hair braided sleekly over her shoulder. Her eyes were narrow, blatantly judging Jaime and his dark blue pants, powder blue shirt and tie. 

“You must be Sansa, it’s nice to meet you,” Jaime said, extending a hand. 

As Sansa crosses the room towards him, Jaime catches sight of Brienne behind her; she was wearing a simple, blue shift dress and a white cardigan. His gaze caught on her for a few moments, long enough for Sansa to clear her throat as she took his hand in a firm shake. 

“Brienne told me a bit about you.” She didn’t say whether they were good or bad, and she didn’t seem inclined to continue. 

“Likewise,” Jaime said with an awkward nod, intimidated by the red-head who nearly matched him and Brienne in height. “I’ve heard great things. Perhaps we can go on a double date sometime, get to know one another better- Brienne and I, and you and Sandor.” 

In his periphery, he could catch the small, satisfied smirk on Arya’s face. Sansa did as well, as she narrowed her eyes. “We’ll see.” Jaime didn’t let it faze him, keeping a lazy smile as he turned to a blushing Brienne. 

“You look absolutely lovely.” Jaime went over to Brienne, “It seems we match somewhat tonight. I’d take that as a good sign. One point for the relationship.” 

Brienne rolled her eyes, “Are we keeping score?” 

Jaime shrugged and said with a smile, “Up to you, you’re rules.”

Brienne grinned slightly. “I’m just gonna say goodbye to the kids before we go.” Jaime's heart melted a bit- the kids, not just Pod but Myrcella and Tommen as well. He nodded and followed her to the living room. 

“Hi Myrcella, Tommen,” Brienne addressed them as they ran to give her a hug, “I’m so glad you two were able to come over and play with Pod tonight! I’m sure you’ll have some fun with Arya, too.” 

“We’ll be back in a few hours, alright?” Jaime knelt next to Tommen and addressed the kids, “If you need anything, Arya has both of our numbers.” 

“Ok,” Myrcella answered. “But where are you going?” She specifically asked Brienne and Jaime rolled his eyes. She had already asked him on the way to Pod’s house and seemed to find his joke answer of ‘we’re going somewhere else so we can talk about you kids’ unacceptable. 

“We, um-“ Brienne started, then looked to Jaime for help. 

Instead, a voice came from the entryway, “Adults need playdates, too. But they’re much more boring then ours.” Arya clapped her hands and sat down next to Myrcella, “How about we let the old people get out of here so we can have some fun. Tommen, Myrcella, I think Pod and I can teach you to play our Knights game. How does that sound?” 

Brienne was crimson at Arya’s opening comment but was grateful for the distraction as the the three kids showed an interest in her game. 

On the way out of the room Jaime asked, “What’s their Knights game?” 

With a fond smile, Brienne explained, “It was a game I used to play with her when I visited the Stark family home on winter break from university. Arya was 12 and her younger brothers, Rickon and Bran, were around Tommen and Myrcella’s ages. I would teach them how to ‘fence’ and ‘joust’ with pool noodles. And I suppose it stuck.” Brienne laughed, “One time when Arya was picking Pod up from school, they stopped at a store and bought a bunch of pool noodles so that she could teach him the same way.” 

Jaime paused, his hand on the door, eyes alight. 

Brienne shook her head as she waved goodbye to Sansa, who was also putting on her coat, “It’s stupid, I know.” 

“It’s not stupid. It’s sweet.” He continued as they got in his car, “Did you know anything about fencing or knights?” 

“Yeah, I fenced in college and minored in history, so I knew a bit about knights and tournaments.” It was an easy conversation from there, as Jaime, too had a background in history, specifically involving the architecture throughout the various time periods. 

…

The conversation continued smoothly, carrying them from the car to the restaurant and through their meal, until they started talking about the kids. 

“Tommen looks quite a lot like you,” Brienne noted at one point. 

“Yes,” Jaime cleared his throat, “Myrcella looks quite a bit more like her mother.” 

Brienne looked down at her food, pushing her pasta around with her fork. She hadn’t wanted to bring up the topic of exes, she knew it was painful for her and surely would be for him. She countered, “Myrcella surely has your personality, though. She certainly has your quick wit.” 

Jaime smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes, “I hope they both end up more like me. I’m not saying I’m that great, not in the slightest. But their mother-“ he shook his head, “she had a mean streak.” 

“I’m sorry,” Brienne answered, “To be fair, I think you’re pretty great. Sorry I brought it up, though.” 

“No, it’s ok.” Jaime shut his eyes and shook his head slightly, as if clearing his head, “She’s not a part of their lives anymore and that’s definitely for the best. Hopefully I’ll do all I can to help them grow up to be good people. Their uncle is a good influence on them, too- as is Pod. And you, of course.” He paused to give Brienne a warm smile. Then, Jaime sighed, “So, hopefully her looks is all Myrcella gets from her mother.” 

Brienne swallowed and instinctually reached across the table to cover his hand with hers, “If you ever want to talk about it, you know. Even if we are doing this trial dating thing, we’re still friends, too.” 

Jaime flipped his hand over to squeeze her's once, running his thumb over the back of her hand. “Thanks. There’s not really that much to say. Cersei- we were neighbors growing up, and our other neighbors always used to joke that we’d end up together- we were the same age, we always played together, were always in the same class- we were basically attached at the hip.I think I took their words a little more seriously then she did. We started dating, and I just had this vision for us having our own family.” He explained, “Neither of our families were that great. And this dream for us, it made me overlook so much about her, like how cruel she could be, especially to my brother.” 

With another squeeze to Brienne’s hand, Jaime continued, “I proposed once we were both out of college. We were long distance those 4 years and I know throughout that period she wasn't completely faithful, but I didn't really care, I just wanted her and I wanted that dream. So we married and then we had Myrcella a few years later. That’s when I started noticing things. She was quite controlling over Myrcella, wanted her to grow up to basically be a clone of herself. I fought for Myrcella’s choices, and then the fights started bleeding into other areas of our life. Then we had Tommen, and I suppose she saw that I would never let her have that complete control over their lives. She was never very attached to him. Eventually I found out she was having an affair with one of my partners at our architecture firm. A few days later she left us for him and so the three of us moved here when Tommen was only a year old.” Jaime shrugged, “Last I heard they had a child together- Joffrey- and he’s… well he’s hers, through and through. It makes me feel better, knowing I stopped that from happening with Tommen and Myrcella.” 

This time, Brienne squeezed his hand, “I’m sorry that happened. But I’m glad that you have them, and that you're here now.” 

“Me too,” Jaime smiled, then cleared his throat. He could see the sadness in Brienne’s eyes for him. He wanted to ask more about her past, but he also didn’t want to overwhelm her on their trial date. “Let’s talk about something happier- what do you think about the double date idea I mentioned to Sansa?” 

“That’s of course assuming there will be a second date for us and a first date for Sandor and Sansa.” Brienne responded, happy to lighten the mood with a playful tone. 

“While Sansa is your friend, Arya did suggest it to me, so it has to be in the realm of possibilities for those two. And as for us… I suppose that’s up to you- what’s the score?” 

“It’s close, but I think we’ve got a fair shot.” At his smirk, she added, “Don’t get too cocky, though. That’d be a point for no relationship.” 

The smirk didn’t completely disappear from Jaime’s expression, though he tried to keep a straight face, “Duly noted.” 

… 

The rest of the night had gone quite well, though Jaime was a bundle of nerves as they reached Brienne’s house. On the doorstep, before Brienne could take out her key, Jaime caught her hand in his. 

“I do really like you, Brienne. And I hope you enjoyed tonight enough to give us a chance.” 

Brienne nodded, “I think… I think we should give it a chance.” Jaime beamed at her, and she couldn’t help but pull him to her in a tight hug. 

It felt as if Jaime was holding on for dear life. One hand around her waist, the other in her hair, he held her close with his chin resting in the crook of her neck. In that moment, he couldn’t remember the last time he had hugged someone that wasn’t his children. He realized how much he missed that physical comfort, how much he craved the connection, particularly to Brienne. 

When they parted, Jaime’s hand that was in her hair moved to cup her cheek. “How would you feel about ending this trial date with a trial kiss?” 

Her eyes widened slightly, and Jaime lost himself in the endless sea of blue. “I’d quite like that.” She moved a hand to his wrist, keeping his hand on her cheek as she moved closer. Their lips connected once, in a quick and gentle brush. Then, Brienne initiated a second kiss, already feeling a sense of rightness in the sensation of his lips on hers. His tongue ran over her lower lip, but it was just as the first kiss was- a gentle brush, a promise for more- later. As the kiss ended, Jaime leaned his forehead against hers, a happy sigh escaping his lips. Lips that had just been on hers. 

“Let’s go see if Arya turned my house into a battlefield for the greatest jousting tournament yet,” Brienne said with a laugh, though she made no move to step back, her forehead still resting against his. 

Jaime’s responding chuckle was cut short as the door swung open. They stepped apart to see Arya casually lean in the doorframe, shaking her head. 

“You two- you say its a trial run so the kids don’t find out too early, then I find you making out outside the door like a couple of teenagers. Where anyone can see.” 

While Brienne turned a bright red, Jaime could only grin. 

Before Brienne could protest, Arya batted a hand, swinging the door open to let them in. “I’m only joking, the kids are in the living room watching a movie. Tommen’s asleep and Pod looks about ready to pass out. Myrcella’s wide awake though, she’s too invested in the movie.” 

Brienne followed Arya into the house, her cheeks still tinged with pink. 

As Jaime picked up Tommen, trying his best not to wake him, he glanced to Brienne and gave her another smile. 

Brienne returned the smile, then gave Myrcella a hug. 

Myrcella whispered to Brienne, “Arya’s a fun babysitter. I hope you and Dad go out more so that she can watch us again.” 

The blush from embarrassment had faded, replaced with a different warmth as Brienne answered, “I think we can make that work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that chapter! I'm looking forward to the last few chapters of this story- coming soon: the double date, and a Selwyn and Jaime meeting!


	10. one and done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A double date is planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry again for the long wait. With some adjustments in meds, I'm feeling a bit better now mental health wise and I'm starting to get some motivation back for writing. Aside from that, I am finishing up my senior project for college and have to turn it in in the next few weeks. Which is definitely nerve-wracking, but I know I'll have more free time once it's finished (yay!). Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

In the mandatory post-date call to Sansa, Brienne broached the topic of the double date again. While they were at dinner, she had asked Jaime why he suggested it, and he mentioned Arya’s intervening. 

“I think it could be a good idea.” Brienne replied to Sansa’s huff of frustration. 

“Are you that serious about this guy? You think he wants to go through interrogation with both Sandor and I simultaneously?” There was a momentary pause, “And it couldn’t be a double date- Sandor and I aren’t dating. Nothing has happened.” 

Brienne pulled at the thread, “But you want something to happen.” No respond. Smirking, Brienne continued, “You know both of you want to. Here’s a chance for a comfortable dinner with me as a mediator. And any nerves you have I’m sure you’ll be able to put to good use teaming up against Jaime.” 

Sansa laughed, “You really want to make your new boyfriend our punching bag?” 

“I think he can handle it,” Brienne smiled, warmth flowing through her at the establishment of her relationship with Jaime. “Besides, he may as well get through it now. And the more people there the better. Even though Sandor and I were never together, Jaime still thought that we were, and I don’t want him to feel weird around Sandor.” 

“Fair,” Sansa answered. “Fine, fine. We’ll go. But you have to invite Sandor in the same way you invited me. I don’t want him thinking I developed this plan to get on a date with him.” 

“What is it with you two?” Brienne shook her head, “How was it easier for me to go on a date with Jaime after knowing him just a few months than for you to finally go on a date with someone you’ve known for years?” 

“That’s the thing, it’s been so long, it’s hard to finally bridge that gap. On some level I feel like both of us are waiting for the other one to do it and neither of us want to budge. And why are we talking about my possible date and hypothetical relationship rather than your non-date that led to a very real relationship? Not fair.” 

“That was my plan all along,” Brienne laughed. “And I did tell you everything that happened already, anyways.” 

“There are always more details to share, B.” Sansa said suggestively. 

Blushing, Brienne looked at the screen of her phone and rolled her eyes, “Regardless, I’ve gotta go. Arya is babysitting Pod on Monday so I’ll ask her if she can babysit when we all go out. Next Saturday?” 

“Sure,” Sansa answered, resigned that she wouldn’t get any more details from Brienne. 

…

Brienne waited to approach Sandor about the double date until they were just finishing up at the gym after work. 

His immediate response was, “No.” 

“C’mon, Clegane. Sansa obviously likes you, and I know you adore her. Plus, you get to meet and intimidate Jaime. Why say no?” 

Sandor only glared back at Brienne, “I liked it better when I was meddling in your relationship, not the other way around.” 

With a smirk, Brienne noted, “Yeah, that’s how Sansa felt, too.” 

Sandor grunted, dropping his weights back to the floor. He stopped for a moment, wiping his hands on his towel. Brienne could see the hesitancy in his eyes. She knew that while Sansa didn't mind the way they danced around each other, Sandor’s wariness was more rooted in his insecurities. She understood it better than she cared to admit, but she didn’t want it to stop him from being happy any longer. 

“Tell you what,” Brienne decided, “I’ll race you for it. 5 laps around the track. I win we go, you win you get to choose whether or not we go.” While he raised an eyebrow at her wording, Sandor accepted the challenge. Brienne knew it would be a pretty even race; while they usually did weights more often than cardio, they were pretty equally matched. 

For the first two laps, Sandor pushed ahead, nearly gaining half a lap on Brienne. Forcing herself ahead, Brienne managed to catch up to Sandor by the end of the third lap. Alongside the determination fueling her ahead of him, Brienne noticed Sandor pulling back a bit. By the fifth lap, she realized he only tried to scare her in the beginning and never really planned on trying to win anyways. Her competitive side wasn’t fulfilled, but victory was sweet regardless as it meant that Sandor was finally willing to take a chance with Sansa. 

As they parted to their respective locker rooms, Brienne called to him, “Saturday night. Wear something nice, and bring her flowers.” 

…

“I’m home,” Brienne called out as she arrived at home. She followed the noise into the living room, where Arya sat with Podrick, watching one of the kids channels. Brienne wasn’t entirely sure what show it was, but Arya seemed almost as invested in it as Pod. She even stayed to finish the episode with him before getting ready to go. 

Before she left, Brienne told Arya, “Your plan worked, we’re doing a double date this Saturday.” 

“Thank the gods,” Arya grinned victoriously. 

“Does that mean you’ll babysit?” 

Arya shook her head, “You know I would, but I’m having dinner with Gendry- it’s our second anniversary.”

“Oh, ok.” Brienne nodded, a bit concerned. She liked Gendry and was quite happy that they were still together, but she didn’t know who would watch the kids- Sansa was usually her back up, and Sandor her back up-back up. 

That night, after Pod went to bed, Brienne called Jaime. 

“Hey,” his voice was sweet and gentle, warming Brienne’s heart. 

“Hey,” she answered, sure he could hear the grin in her voice. “So we’re set for Saturday, but Arya can’t babysit. Do you know of anyone who would be available.” 

There was a moment’s pause before Jaime answered, “No, sorry. I’d usually ask Tyrion, but he’s out of town.” 

“Hmm.” Brienne breathed in, her heart speeding up a bit as Jaime’s words confirmed that they would have to go with her only other option. She wasn’t sure how she felt. “I think I have someone who would be able to watch the kids…” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, um,” Brienne started, trying to keep the offer casual, so it didn’t seem as serious as her mind was telling her it was, “my dad loves babysitting Pod and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind watching Tommen and Myrcella, too. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’d be delighted- he loves kids.” 

This seemed to surprise Jaime, as his response came quite a few seconds later, and his voice raised slightly in pitch, “Would you be alright with that?” He continued on rapidly, “I mean I would like to meet your father and I think it would be a great idea, I just don’t want you to feel too rushed or anything and-“ 

“It’s really ok,” Brienne said more confidently, touched by his concern for her, “Like I said, he’d be happy to, and I know Pod has mentioned Tommen and Myrcella to him.” 

“Do you think you’ll tell him why he’s watching them? That we’re dating?” Jaime asked gently. 

Brienne swallowed, considering it again. She nodded, though she knew he couldn’t see her, “Yeah, I think I will. I don’t know what he’ll say- he’s never met a boyfriend or whatever before,” Brienne paused, feeling as though boyfriend somehow wasn’t enough to describe Jaime, despite only just starting to date, “I’ll talk to him tomorrow about it.” 

“I look forward to meeting him, if it works out.” Jaime responded. Brienne could hear the array of emotions within his voice. The worry, the fear, the hope… he’d told her a while ago about his own father, about why he only keeps in contact with his brother anymore. 

Brienne could imagine the lines that worried his face in that moment. She wished she were next to him, so that she could smooth out those lines, sooth that worry. “My father is one of the kindest people I know. Firm, but kind. I know he’ll like you.” She didn’t miss Jaime’s small sigh of relief in response. 

Before he could respond, another, more distant voice sounded through Brienne’s phone. A moment later, Jaime voice returned, “It seems Tommen refused to go to bed. Talk tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, we’ll talk then. Goodnight, Jaime.” 

“Goodnight, Brienne.” 

…

While Brienne was sure that Selwyn would like Jaime, it didn’t stop her from worrying throughout the day. She’d never spoken to him before about a relationship; she’d only ever mentioned Hyle after the fact, when she needed to make him understand why she had had such a rough semester that year at university. 

Between patients, Sandor checked in with her, attuned to the way she shuffled through her paperwork when her anxiety was higher.

“You’re dad even liked me when he met me. Me. It’ll be a piece of cake for Lannister.” 

Brienne couldn’t help but grin, “I know he’ll like him… most likely. It’s just- I’ve never had to do this before, I don’t do well with these types of conversations with him.” 

“Think of it like this: either this is good practice for the next time you have to have this conversation with him, or it’s the only time you’ll have to have this conversation with him.” Sandor shrugged, adding as he walked away, “One and done.” 

Though his perspective may have eased her worries a bit, Brienne felt as though Sandor left her with more questions circling in her mind than ever. 

…

When Brienne arrived to pick up Podrick, she wasted no time, not wanting to lose her nerve. As soon as Pod was out of earshot, she turned to Selwyn, “I’m seeing someone.” 

Selwyn’s eyebrows jumped upwards, clearly not expecting the turn in conversation. He cleared his throat, “Well, uh, Brie, I’m happy for you. Um- what’s their name?” 

“It’s, uh, Jaime Lannister.” Brienne felt her cheeks grow hot, and she looked down at her feet, “Myrcella’s father.”

“Pod’s friend, Myrcella?” 

Brienne couldn’t decipher his tone. She rushed to explain, “Yes, well, we got to know one another quite well since the kids have been spending more time together. And we haven’t told them yet, and we promised we’ll never let it interfere with their friendship and-“ 

“Calm down, sweetheart, I was just asking. I know you wouldn’t do anything that could hurt Pod’s friendships.” Selwyn squeezed Brienne’s shoulder. “Are you happy?” 

“Very,” Brienne breathed out. 

Selwyn nodded, a faint blush on his cheeks as well as he asked, “How long have you two…” 

“Not long,” Brienne responded, “We only just went out on a first date last week, but it feels very… real. And, well, I would’ve waited longer to tell you, you know, until it was more appropriate and we were more… um, established, but we were trying to get together with Sansa and Sandor on Saturday, and unfortunately Arya can’t babysit…” 

At that, Selwyn’s eyes raised again, “Sansa and Sandor are finally together?” 

Brienne grinned, “Hopefully this is the start. Arya kind of manufactured this double date to finally get them together.” 

“And despite setting this plan in motion the little master-mind left you without a babysitter?” Selwyn laughed, shaking his head. Since Brienne and Sansa were in college, the large Stark family always included Brienne and Selwyn in their holiday gatherings, and Selwyn had grown to know the Stark children well. 

“I wouldn’t ask this of you unless there were no other options available, but do you think you’d be able to watch the kids for the night? It would be the three of them- Pod, Myrcella, and her brother, Tommen.” Brienne paused and added “You can say no, though, if you dont want to.” 

“Nonsense,” Selwyn batted a hand, “I love watching Pod, and it will be nice to have a bunch of kids running around- though, hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with them.” 

Brienne laughed, though it faded quickly, “You’re absolutely sure?” 

Selwyn nodded once, “Absolutely. I’m glad you told me now, and glad you asked. And I look forward to meeting Jaime, too.” Something in his eyes shifted as he looked at his daughter, “I didn’t know how things would go, when Pod came to live with you. But it's made me so happy to see you doing so well, and that all of this led you here.” 

“Thanks, Dad.” Brienne smiled. As Pod bolted back into the room and the two drove back home, Brienne considered Selwyn’s words, feeling grateful as well for Pod and for everything he brought her. She allowed herself to think back on what Sandor had said, and the possibility of a real future with Jaime- the possibility of their own little family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this update! Next up: Jaime meeting Selwyn and the double date. After that it'll just be the epilogue (which will include a time jump).


	11. some things are meant to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The double date... and a time jump!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone... I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. I know it's a pretty crazy time, but I'm here for you!  
I know this chapter took a while, I just wasn't finding much motivation to finish this story. While fluff and happiness is defintelly needed right now, it was hard to find it in me to write this. Regardless, here is the chapter! However, I have condensed this chapter and the last chapter so that the epilogue is also included in this chapter. I'm sorry to shorten the story, but it was just getting difficult to finish and I would rather have something I'm happier with than drag it on longer just because. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I hope you have enjoyed this story!

Once again, Myrcella knocked on the door to Brienne’s house, though this time Jaime was nervous for a very different reason. He’d never had to meet a girlfriend’s parent like this; he’d known Cersei’s family since he was a child, since they were neighbors, and after her there was no one else. 

He worried that he wouldn’t know what to say, that in some way he’d regress back into the asshole Tywin tried to raise him to be, though both Tyrion and Jaime broke that mold long ago. 

Brienne answered the door, a blush already staining her cheeks. “Hi,” she breathed out. 

Jaime could feel the tension he held melt away with the single word. “Hey,” he grinned. He held out the flowers he brought for her, earning him a wide smile. It was a bouquet of red and white carnations, and queen anne’s lace. 

“Oh…Thank you, they’re lovely.” Brienne answered, taken aback by the gesture. Her cheeks stained a darker red as Pod popped out from behind Brienne, collecting Tommen and Myrcella to run into the living room. 

Shaking her head at them, Brienne smiled, “C’mon in. Dad’s in the living room so I’m sure that’s where Pod took Myrcie and Tommen.” She paused a moment to look at Jaime, measuring his stress level. “I figured we could just say a quick hello to Dad, to introduce you, then we could go to the restaurant to meet Sandor and Sansa.” She grinned wickedly before adding, “I made Sandor pick Sansa up, flowers and all.” 

“Good to know you approve of flowers,” Jaime noted as Brienne pulled out a vase for her own. 

“Yes, thank you again,” she seemed to struggle to find words, “You really didn’t have to go to the trouble.” She stroked a thumb across the petal of a white carnation as she moved the now full vase to the counter. She simply admired the beauty of the flowers, though she couldn’t help but feel that a man like Jaime would put thought into the flowers he gave her, what type of message they sent. She made a note to look it up when she got home that night. 

“Oh, hello, sir. You must be Brienne’s father.” Brienne could hear the slight shakiness in Jaime’s voice even before she turned around to see him looking at her father. 

In that moment, she saw her dad through Jaime’s eyes and could understand why he might be nervous; Selwyn Tarth stood nearly half a foot taller than Brienne herself, and even she was about an inch taller than Jaime. Selwyn was also more muscled than she ever really noticed before; his years as a detective had kept him in shape, and also seemed to keep a consistent sternness to his expression. 

Nevertheless, Selwyn offered a hand and a small smile as he responded, “And you must be Jaime. Please, call me Selwyn.” 

Jaime nodded as he eagerly shook the other man’s hand, “Of course, sir- Selwyn.” For a moment Brienne thought the tables would turn and she’d see Jaime blush. 

“Your children seem very sweet,” Selwyn offered as a conversation starter. 

“Thank you,” Jaime responded, still trying to find his footing, “I hope they aren’t too much trouble tonight; I know Myrcella can be a bit high energy at times, even more so when she’s with Pod- her partner in crime.” He looked to Brienne and they shared a smile as she gave him a nod of encouragement. 

Selwyn smiled, looking between Jaime and his daughter, “That’s how you and Renly were, Brinny, remember?” 

Brienne laughed, “Yeah, I guess we were.” She turned to Jaime, “I told you about Renly, he was my best friend growing up. I still see him and his husband every once in a while.” 

“I think you mentioned him before; he’s a director now, right?” Brienne nodded. 

Selwyn watched the exchange between them. It eased some of his worries to see the way he looked at her, like he wanted to soak in every moment he was in her presence. It struck quite close to home for Selwyn, as he remembered feeling that way about Brienne’s mother. 

…

Things at the restaurant started out a little less smoothly, as Sansa, and even Sandor, took the opportunity to fire some questions at Jaime- where he grew up, what he did, how much money he made- at that one, Brienne quickly changed the subject. 

“Sansa, did you know its Arya and Gendry’s second anniversary tonight?” When Sansa nodded, Brienne smirked, “Just think, if things go well tonight, you’ll share an anniversary with her.” 

Jaime laughed, though at Sandor’s glare, he turned it into a cough, holding his napkin up to hide his smile. 

Brienne caught Jaime’s eye and winked, “I’m just saying, it would be such a happy coincidence.” 

The dinner continued in this fashion, the two couples exchanging remarks- even Jaime at one point shot back after a more intense question, noting how he’d seen Sansa and Sandor arrive hand in hand. 

At that point, Sansa shrugged, finally giving up the game, “Yes, well, I’ve heard that’s what couples do.”

Brienne gave Jaime a fist bump under the table for finally getting them to admit it was a date. By the end of the night, it seemed that all the tension had disappeared with that declaration. Sandor and Jaime were even able to hold a conversation between them as Brienne and Sansa slipped away to the washroom. 

As the night ended, Sansa and Sandor leaving after giving Jaime their approval, and Jaime and Brienne coming home to find the kids and Selwyn all playing Arya’s Knights game, Jaime felt his heart swell with love as he got just a taste of a life he could have with Brienne. 

… 

ONE YEAR (and a couple months) LATER 

…

Brienne was just leaving the gym with Sandor when she her phone began ringing. “It’s Jaime,” Brienne said to Sandor as she looked at her phone. 

Sandor shook his head, “Tell Lannister he still owes me for helping him last weekend.” For Tommen’s birthday, Jaime decided to put up a basketball hoop in their backyard, and Sandor had helped him set it up. 

Before answering, Brienne rolled her eyes, “Tell him yourself, Clegane, it’s not as if you never see each other.” Sometimes she wondered if Jaime and Sandor talked more often than she and Sansa. Brienne waved to Sandor as she walked to the opposite end of the parking lot. 

“Hi, hon.” Brienne answered, her phone pressed against her shoulder and her cheek as she started her car. 

“Hey,” Jaime started as Brienne set her phone down, putting it on speaker phone, “I was just wondering if you could stop by tonight, you know, with Pod.” 

“It’s a school night, Jaime,” Brienne started. They had told the kids that they were together a few months after they started dating, though they were still taking things slow. It seemed like they both knew that this was a permanent thing, and the kids were very happy about it, but Brienne was still worried. She had told him early on that she couldn’t see them living together before they were engaged. And she wasn’t exactly sure where that was at on Jaime’s timeline. 

“I know it is, Brie, but I think we could make an exception, don’t you?” 

“What’s this about, Jaime?” Brienne could hear an edge to his voice. 

Jaime only answered, “I’ll tell you when you get here. An hour? I’ll have dinner ready.” 

Brienne sighed- she was pleased to see Jaime, but she always worried about breaking their rules. “Okay, I’ll be there soon.” 

… 

An hour later, Brienne stood at Jaime’s door with Pod. Her hair was still a bit damp from the quick shower she took when she got home. 

Jaime answered the door, quickly sending Pod off to play with Tommen and Myrcella, and leading Brienne to the patio on the backyard. 

“Jaime, what is it?” Brienne asked, starting to get concerned at the tension in his face. 

“I just- I wanted to see you. I needed to see you,” Jaime started. He paused a moment, clearing his head, before he continued, “Today, after school, Tommen mentioned that the Mother’s Day brunch was coming up. They do it every year for the preschoolers, they get to bring their moms into school and then have a little brunch with them in the classroom, it’s kind of silly, but it makes the kids happy.” 

“Anyways, Tommen mentioned it then asked if he could go to it. When Myrcella went, Cersei was still around, so it wasn’t an issue. I told Tommen I’d go with him but I wasn’t sure if they’d let me. Then he said that he didn’t want me to come- that- that he wanted you there with him.” 

Brienne was taken aback. She couldn’t find words, “Oh…” 

“And it got me thinking. Obviously I love you and my children love you as if you were their mother. I know you said you didn’t want to live together until we were engaged. Well…” Jaime slipped a box out of his pocket and got down on one knee in front of her, “I don’t want to wait anymore. I don’t want to wait to start our lives together, as a family.” He opened the box, revealing a stunning ring, two sapphires flanking the larger diamond in the middle. Jaime let out a breath, “Brienne, will you marry me?” 

Brienne stared at him still in awe. She barely noticed as she dropped to her knees herself, just wanting to look into his eyes, to see that this was real. She put a hand to his cheek as she nodded, “Of course, of course I’ll marry you.” Jaime didn’t even have a chance to put on the ring as she flung her arms around his neck, holding him tight to her. 

Eventually, Brienne moved back, and Jaime placed the ring on her finger, then kissed her. “I love you.” He whispered as they parted, their foreheads still touching. 

“I love you, too.” Brienne whispered back, eyes full of tears. 

They stayed out there only a few more minutes, before Myrcella came running out to the patio. 

“Did you do it yet, Daddy?” She asked Jaime as she tugged on Brienne’s hand to look for a ring. 

Brienne looked at Jaime with a questioning look. He grinned, claiming, “I needed help picking out the ring.” 

“Well, you did a very good job, Myrcie.” Brienne smiled, hugging the little girl. 

“I know,” Myrcie said matter-of-factly. “He needed my help.” She looked between Jaime and Brienne, hands on her hips. “Ready to tell the boys?” 

Brienne laughed, asking Jaime, “You only told Myrcella?” 

“I figured you could tell Tommen why you’ll be going with him to the Mother’s Day brunch.” Jaime answered, “Plus, I can’t wait to see Pod’s reaction- I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for him.” 

“It was SO hard not telling him!” Myrcella exclaimed with the enthusiasm of a third grader.

As Myrcella led the way inside, Brienne told Jaime, “You know I would’ve gone with Tommen regardless.” 

“I know,” Jaime answered, “But now it gets to be even more special.” He squeezed her hand, and she felt the ring move against her finger. Brienne stepped back into the house with Jaime, ready to start their future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking around to the end of this story!! It means the world to me. I have a few other stories I'm working on at the moment, and now that this is finished I hope to be able to focus on those a bit better. If you have any interest in beta-ing the main work (Season 8/Post Season 8 AU) I have coming up, please comment or email me or message me on tumblr (slytherinoftarth). 
> 
> Again, I hope you all are doing well and staying safe!

**Author's Note:**

> Pod's nickname for Brienne fully inspired by sameboots' fic "something good and right and real" which is amazing. I definitely plan to continue though I don't know if I should make it a shorter fic or a longer fic. Let me know?


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